Destemming is the mechanical removal of stems and stalks from strawberries, cherries, currants and similar berries, and it is a prerequisite step before washing or freezing to meet commercial product standards.
In trade practice
Destemming machines grip and pull stems without crushing the fruit, but machine settings must be adjusted per variety and ripeness level to minimise flesh loss and juice leakage. Overripe fruit is more susceptible to damage during destemming, so raw material maturity is assessed before the line is set up. Residual stems are a common defect cited in buyer complaints and are typically controlled by a combination of machine settings and a downstream inspection belt. For organic product, the destemming equipment must be cleaned and documented to prevent cross-contamination between conventional and certified batches.
In a specification
A product specification for destemmed berries states the maximum permitted percentage of stems or stem fragments by count or weight, and may require that flesh loss from destemming is recorded as a yield parameter.