Removes soil and other foreign material from product surface by washing, brushing, or both. The wash water may or may not be chlorinated. Recycled water should always be chlorinated. Trim asparagus spears to predetermined lengths by cutting off excess length at the basal end. Select product by maturity, shape, color, or some other physical parameter.
Some commodities are machine sorted.
Culling is part of both sorting and grading. Onions and garlic are cured to dry the necks and outer scales. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are cured to develop wound periderms over cut, broken, or skinned surfaces. Curing helps heal harvesting injuries, reduces water loss, and prevents entry of decay-causing organisms during storage. Most commodities are sized by mechanical or electronic sizers, but many products are still visually sized.