Abstract: The present invention relates to a high speed asynchronous fruit sorter for sorting various types of fruits, such as blueberries, according to maturity. Forming a part of the fruit sorter is an open wire type conveyor having a generally M-shaped profile extending transversely across so as to define a series of laterally spaced and longitudinally extending conveying channels. An illumination source is disposed below the conveyor about an area referred to as a sorting zone. Disposed over the conveyor in the vicinity of the sorting zone is an optical maturity sensing device that continuously derives a differential optical density reading for the underlying passing fruit, and this differential optical density reading is directly related to the maturity of the fruit and is directed to a maturity discriminator circuit. The maturity discriminator circuit is in turn coupled to an air injection sorting apparatus by a series of AND gates.