Current industrial, pilot, or lab scale high pressure homogenizers are equipped with plunger-type pumps and valves or nozzles made from abrasive resistant ceramics or hard gemstones (Figures 3-4). Stability in the delivered pressure is achieved through an attenuation volume between the pump and the valve or the use of two or more reciprocating plungers and an overlapping algorithm control. In a typical valve setup (e.g., Stansted Power Fluid) a zirconium or tungsten carbide needle-seat valve or ball-seat valve is used, with homogenization pressure being controlled by the force exerted over the needle blocking the fluid flow (Figure 3B-C; Figure 4). Some homogenizers (e.g., Avestin, BEE international) are equipped with one or two nozzles instead of valves. The technology for nozzle-equipped high pressure homogenizers was initially developed for water jet cutting applications. In this case, a high pressure pump is connected to an attenuator to reduce pressure fluctuations and homogenization is achieved by nozzle head or "jewel" made from ruby, sapphire, or diamond (Figure 3D; Figure 4). The nozzle orifice is usually