3.2.2. Total Soluble Solids

Figure 3b exhibits the effect of beeswax concentration and storage time on total soluble contents of mango fruits. Concentration of beeswax in coating solutions significantly affected total soluble contents in mango fruits. A rapid change in degree brix was observed in the control sample, which increased from 60.08 to 65.13 ◦Brix during storage time. However, a non-significant change in brix was observed for coated fruits. This may be due to the reduced conversion of acid into sugar during 21 days of storage. Chitosan–*Aloe vera* coatings with 2% beeswax revealed minimum change in TSS (from 60.08 to 61.74 ◦Brix). Moalemiyan et al. [35] reported that an increase in TSS may be associated with weight loss causing an increase in sugar concentration. Moreover, conversion of complex carbohydrates present in the mangoes into soluble sugars also increased the TSS contents. Coatings provide an efficient cover from the environmental oxygen and hinder the metabolic activities responsible for rapid conversions of acids into sugar [19]. As explained earlier, a slight change in weight loss was

observed for coatings containing 2% beeswax, which may be responsible for a slight increase in TSS contents in mangoes treated with S4.

**Figure 3.** Effect of storage time and beeswax concentration on the various properties of coated mangoes, i.e., weight loss (**a**), total soluble solids (**b**), pH (**c**) and firmness (**d**) during storage at 18 ◦C and 75 ± 5% R.H.
