*3.2. Sugars*

Our research showed that the levels of fructose and glucose ranged from 38.87 to 41.53 and from 33.02 to 38.58%, respectively, in all the sunflower honey samples we analyzed (Table 2). With a value of above 60 g/100 g for all samples of sunflower honey, the total amount of glucose and fructose complied with national and European criteria [36,42]. The amount of sucrose in each sample of honey that was examined was less than 5 g/100 g, which is the limit permitted by European legislation [42] and the national regulation for honey [36]. Sucrose level was below the detection limit of the used method in 19 out of the 24 total analyzed samples (79.2%) (Table 2). The method's detection limit is 0.25%. The F/G ratio ranged from 1.04 to 1.23, with a mean value of 1.09. The G/W ratio ranged from 1.81 to 2.54 with a mean value of 2.19 (Table 2).

Honey, a highly viscous mixture of sugars predominately contains glucose and fructose in amounts that are almost equal. As can be seen from the results (Table 2), fructose is the most prevalent reducing sugar in sunflower honey. Generally, the fructose content was higher than the glucose content, indicating that bee colonies were fed naturally. This supported the good quality of the different types of honey that were analyzed. If the beekeeper overfed the bees with sugar in the spring, the sucrose content might be used as a sign that artificial feeding was used. This sugar's high content also signals an early honey harvest [3]. Glucose and fructose levels in sunflower honey were in accordance with the literature data on sunflower honey [9,25,37,43]. The sucrose content in sunflower honey was lower than the results of the aforementioned authors.

The amount of sugar and water in honey, as well as their relative proportions, affect how quickly crystallization occurs. Parameters for the prediction of crystallization tendency are F/G and G/W proportions. During crystallization, due to its greater solubility, fructose remains in solution, while glucose crystallizes first. If the F/G ratio is greater than 1.33, the crystallization process proceeds slowly. In cases where the F/G ratio is less than 1.11, the honey crystallizes quickly [44]. According to our results (Table 2), sunflower honey crystallizes fast. The honey crystallizes faster when glucose content is higher and water content lower. Moreover, when the G/W ratio is less than 1.7, the crystallization process is either slower or absent; and when the ratio is larger than 2 [25] or 2.10 [45], the process is faster. According to this criterion, sunflower honey is a rapidly crystallizing honey.
