Chemical Technology September 2015

From butterfly to chocolate – the GEMÜ valve experience

The Victoria range of metal butterfly valves, especially the white NBR liner, is used extensively in oily, greasy and fatty applications such as the manufacture of chocolate.

Front view bypass line, jacketed pipework

C hocolate was originally a bitter-sweet drink dating back to the ‘tribes’ of Mexico and Guatemala such as the Aztecs andMaya. They would pound cacao beans and spices to make ‘Nahuatl’, the Aztec word for chocolate, which was believed to be an aphrodisiac. It was only in the 16th Century that Christopher Columbus stumbled upon the cacao bean on his travels and brought it back to Spain, where Spanish Friers introduced it to the Spanish Court. Only after the Aztecs were conquered by the Spanish, was the cacao imported into Spain and served as a drink. Over time, various processes evolved for the grinding of the cacao bean and various ingredients that were either removed or included to produce the forerunner of what we now know as the chocolate bar or sweet. The humble chocolate has become a symbol of passion and love due to its exotic history. GEMÜ valves in the food processing industry Today’s chocolate-making processes hinge upon mass production in ultra-sterile environments, withmanufacturing equipment needing to meet United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. GEMÜ Valves, of Germany, is one of the few companies in the world that offers an FDA- approved, white NBR liner in their Victoria range of butterfly

valves, which are approved for use in foodstuff applications. The NBRwhite liner is used extensively in oily, greasy and fatty applications and does not contaminate the content, thereby making it perfect for use in the manufacture of chocolate. Claudio Darpin, Managing Director at GEMÜ Valves Africa said: “Our GEMÜ Victoria range of metal butterfly valves has recently been installed in a local chocolate manufacturing plant. Our unique valve liner meets FDA standards, mak- ing it the most reliable and effective liner in our ranges of butterfly valves aimed at the confectionary sector. Very few valve suppliers can offer this speciality liner, and we are at the forefront of this technology.” “GEMÜ Valves Africa, via our Port Elizabeth-based distribu- tor, Instruments4You, was selected to supply these special- ised valves not only based on the quality of our product but also the service and after-sales technical support that we offer to our customers. “One hundred and fifty GEMÜ Victoria butterfly valves, varying in sizes from DN80 to DN 150, have been installed at a chocolate manufacturing plant in the Eastern Cape, most of them automated with pneumatic actuators. Due to the Victoria Butterfly valve’s ability to withstand elevated temperatures and various chemical environments such as acid and alkaline conditions, as required in CIP operations, it is the preferred choice of valve for environments of stringent

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Chemical Technology • September 2015