diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/aggregator/AbstractCorrelatingMessageHandler.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/aggregator/AbstractCorrelatingMessageHandler.java
index 9f95c14183..0dbf89cfd3 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/aggregator/AbstractCorrelatingMessageHandler.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/aggregator/AbstractCorrelatingMessageHandler.java
@@ -13,9 +13,11 @@
 
 package org.springframework.integration.aggregator;
 
-import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Comparator;
+import java.util.Date;
+import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.Lock;
 
@@ -63,6 +65,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.CollectionUtils;
  * @author Dave Syer
  * @author Oleg Zhurakousky
  * @author Gary Russell
+ * @author Enrique Rodríguez
  * @since 2.0
  */
 public abstract class AbstractCorrelatingMessageHandler extends AbstractMessageHandler implements MessageProducer {
@@ -71,6 +74,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractCorrelatingMessageHandler extends AbstractMessageH
 
 	public static final long DEFAULT_SEND_TIMEOUT = 1000L;
 
+	private final Comparator<Message<?>> sequenceNumberComparator = new SequenceNumberComparator();
+
 	protected volatile MessageGroupStore messageStore;
 
 	private final MessageGroupProcessor outputProcessor;
@@ -346,11 +351,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractCorrelatingMessageHandler extends AbstractMessageH
 	}
 
 	protected int findLastReleasedSequenceNumber(Object groupId, Collection<Message<?>> partialSequence){
-		List<Message<?>> sorted = new ArrayList<Message<?>>(partialSequence);
-		Collections.sort(sorted, new SequenceNumberComparator());
-
-		Message<?> lastReleasedMessage = sorted.get(partialSequence.size()-1);
-
+		Message<?> lastReleasedMessage = Collections.max(partialSequence, this.sequenceNumberComparator);
 		return lastReleasedMessage.getHeaders().getSequenceNumber();
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/aggregator/SequenceSizeReleaseStrategy.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/aggregator/SequenceSizeReleaseStrategy.java
index e36d632559..6d6796e700 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/aggregator/SequenceSizeReleaseStrategy.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/aggregator/SequenceSizeReleaseStrategy.java
@@ -16,11 +16,9 @@
 
 package org.springframework.integration.aggregator;
 
-import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Comparator;
-import java.util.List;
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
@@ -36,12 +34,13 @@ import org.springframework.integration.store.MessageGroup;
  * @author Dave Syer
  * @author Iwein Fuld
  * @author Oleg Zhurakousky
+ * @author Enrique Rodríguez
  */
 public class SequenceSizeReleaseStrategy implements ReleaseStrategy {
 
 	private static final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(SequenceSizeReleaseStrategy.class);
 
-	private volatile Comparator<Message<?>> comparator = new SequenceNumberComparator();
+	private final Comparator<Message<?>> comparator = new SequenceNumberComparator();
 
 	private volatile boolean releasePartialSequences;
 
@@ -74,10 +73,8 @@ public class SequenceSizeReleaseStrategy implements ReleaseStrategy {
 			if (logger.isTraceEnabled()) {
 				logger.trace("Considering partial release of group [" + messageGroup + "]");
 			}
-			List<Message<?>> sorted = new ArrayList<Message<?>>(messages);
-			Collections.sort(sorted, comparator);
-			
-			int nextSequenceNumber = sorted.get(0).getHeaders().getSequenceNumber();
+			Message<?> minMessage = Collections.min(messages, this.comparator);
+			int nextSequenceNumber = minMessage.getHeaders().getSequenceNumber();
 			int lastReleasedMessageSequence = messageGroup.getLastReleasedMessageSequenceNumber();
 			
 			if (nextSequenceNumber - lastReleasedMessageSequence == 1){
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/channel/AbstractMessageChannel.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/channel/AbstractMessageChannel.java
index a43aca54fc..62c73d8a2c 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/channel/AbstractMessageChannel.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/channel/AbstractMessageChannel.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package org.springframework.integration.channel;
 
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList;
 
@@ -49,12 +50,14 @@ public abstract class AbstractMessageChannel extends IntegrationObjectSupport im
 
 	protected final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(this.getClass());
 
+	private final ChannelInterceptorList interceptors = new ChannelInterceptorList();
+
+	private final Comparator<Object> orderComparator = new OrderComparator();
+
 	private volatile boolean shouldTrack = false;
 
 	private volatile Class<?>[] datatypes = new Class<?>[] { Object.class };
 
-	private final ChannelInterceptorList interceptors = new ChannelInterceptorList();
-
 	private volatile String fullChannelName;
 
 
@@ -87,7 +90,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractMessageChannel extends IntegrationObjectSupport im
 	 * interceptors.
 	 */
 	public void setInterceptors(List<ChannelInterceptor> interceptors) {
-		Collections.sort(interceptors, new OrderComparator());
+		Collections.sort(interceptors, this.orderComparator);
 		this.interceptors.set(interceptors);
 	}