**1. Introduction**

Honey is a natural substance produced by honey bees, and it originates from floral nectar and some plants exudates. Honey composition and quality characteristics are variable and are mainly affected by different factors such as soil composition, nectar source, climatic conditions, beekeeping practices, processing type, and storage conditions. Floral origin is quite influential on the physicochemical properties of honey such as electrical conductivity, color, moisture, pH, mineral content, and acidity level; conversely, other parameters, e.g., hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content and purity, are related to the manufacturing process [1]. The main constitutes of honey are carbohydrates (80–85%) and water (15–17%). Fructose and glucose are the most dominant sugars responsible for the majority of the physical and nutritional properties of honey. Small quantities of other sugars (disaccharides, trisaccharides, and oligosaccharides) are also present in honey, in addition to minerals, free amino acids, flavonoids, vitamins, enzymes, and phenolic and organic acids. The acidity level indicates the maturity of honey and characterizes

**Citation:** Raweh, H.S.A.; Badjah-Hadj-Ahmed, A.Y.; Iqbal, J.; Alqarni, A.S. Physicochemical Composition of Local and Imported Honeys Associated with Quality Standards. *Foods* **2023**, *12*, 2181. https://doi.org/10.3390/ foods12112181

Academic Editors: Liming Wu and Qiangqiang Li

Received: 27 April 2023 Revised: 24 May 2023 Accepted: 25 May 2023 Published: 29 May 2023

**Copyright:** © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

its stability and changes of quality during storage [2]. There is an increasing interest in alternative medicine for public health, and honey is a main element in this regard. Therefore, honey consumption rates are increasing in Saudi Arabia [3]. Moreover, limited production of honey and inappropriate agricultural practices have led to an increase in honey adulteration [4]. Honey becomes an easy target of adulteration due to the high demand for its therapeutic and healing properties. Adulteration of honey could be direct by adding a substance to the honey such as cane sugar, beet sugar, and molasses, or indirect by feeding honeybee colonies with adulterating substances. Excessive heat used for pasteurization and packing, on the other hand, can have negative effects on honey quality, such as loss of enzyme activity [5]. Honey fermentation and spoilage may occur when honey is harvested with high humidity [6]. However, authenticity of honey is not only restricted to adulteration; indeed, post-harvest quality alterations are also possible during the flow season or in the store. In the recent past, various tools were developed to assess the quality and authenticity of honey as desired by the consumers, as well as to provide fair competition to honey producers. The international standards of honey quality parameters are available in different standards such as the Codex Alimentarius Standard and European Honey Directive [7]. In recent years, the importance of the physicochemical properties of honey has been increased, because these parameters are vital for issuing honey quality certificates [8]. Honey quality is generally accessed quantitatively by analyzing its composition, as described in international standards and legislations of honey (sucrose content ≤ 5%, fructose 31–42%, glucose 23–32%, reducing sugar ≥ 60%, moisture content ≤ 21%, water-insoluble content ≤ 0.1%, electrical conductivity ≤ 0.8 mS/cm, mineral content (ash) ≤ 0.6%, free acidity ≤ 50 meq/kg, diastase activity ≥ 8 DN (Schade units), and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content ≤ 40 mg/kg) [7,9]. These specifications of honey were also adopted in Saudi Arabia by the Gulf Standardization Organization [10]. Honey is of special importance due to religious and cultural reasons in many Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia. It is not only used as a sweetening additive but also as a healing agent. On the basis of official statistics, about 27,347 tons of honey were brought to the Saudi market last year (2021), of which, 3233 tons were produced locally and 24,114 tons were imported from different countries. In Saudi Arabia, the import of honey has increased during the last five years (2016–2020), from 13,568 to 16,441, 17,099, 18,526, and 24,114 tons, respectively [11]. Nevertheless, most of the locally produced honey is processed and marketed without a verified quality check and assessment of its origin information. This has led to increased honey adulteration and its marketing without verified quality. This study is of particular importance in order to add a comprehensive database of characterizing Saudi Arabian honey, as well as imported honey, which may contribute, if available, positively in terms of reformulating a proper and nationally accepted honey quality standard. Thus, the current study investigated the different physicochemical attributes of honey composition associated with quality standards from honey of local and imported origins.
