Under mechanized operations, the stems that pass through the preclassification are placed onto a conveyor belt. The stems are placed perpendicular to the belt direction, with the tips all to one side. The stems move with the belt and pass a radial saw positioned adjacent to the belt. Stem bases are trimmed to ensure uniform length. Care must be taken to ensure that no pieces of the asparagus skin are torn away.
Stems continue along the conveyor and under a cold water drench for precooling.
Water temperature should again be 3oC to 5oC, with volumes of 10 to 15 gallons per minute per square foot, and contain 200 parts per million chlorine. Treatment should last approximately five minutes. Afterward, the stems are removed from the belt and size graded manually by diameter. At this point, whether manual or mechanized operations have been used, the asparagus must be graded, packed, and placed under cold storage as soon as possible. Care is required because susceptibility to bruising is higher when the stems are cooled.