The TSS content in plant tissues is mainly related to the presence of soluble sugars and also smaller amounts of organic acids, vitamins and proteins. Table 1 shows that the highest TSS values were found in control samples (day 0) and N2-enriched MAP samples. On the other hand, a significant reduction in TSS index was verified in vacuum-packaged and Ar-enriched MAP samples, probably related with over-maturation or senescence. The utilization of free sugars in various metabolic processes could also cause the decrease of TSS contents.