North Macedonia as a case study for ensuring regional honey compliance with international quality standards: a physicochemical, melissopalynological, and HPLC-based assessment

The quality, authenticity, and safety of honey are essential for consumer protection and for preserving its nutritional and economic value. This study evaluated the physicochemical properties and botanical origins of honey collected from eight geographical regions of North Macedonia and assessed compliance with international quality standards. A total of 227 honey samples were collected from 25 municipalities. Botanical origin was determined by melissopalynological analysis, while physicochemical parameters, moisture content, electrical conductivity, free acidity, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and sugar composition, were analyzed in accordance with AOAC and International Honey Commission (IHC) methods. Polyfloral honey was the most prevalent type (38.0%; n = 86), followed by mixed (34.9%; n = 79), monofloral sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) (21.0%; n = 48), and honeydew honey (6.1%; n = 14). Mean values for all honey types and regions were within the compositional limits defined by the EU Honey Directive (2001/110/EC) for the parameters determined. Moisture content (15.20–18.70%) indicated good stability and low fermentation risk, while HMF values (0.55–13.33 mg/kg) confirmed freshness and minimal thermal processing. HPLC-RID sugar profiling of representative samples revealed type-specific fructose-to-glucose (F/G) ratios (1.35–1.66 for polyfloral, 1.71 for monofloral sweet chestnut, 1.38–1.64 for mixed, and 1.31–1.69 for honeydew honey) and confirmed the presence of melezitose in mixed and honeydew samples. Regional variation in electrical conductivity (0.305–1.380 mS/cm) reflected differences in botanical origin and mineral composition. This study represents the first comprehensive multi-regional evaluation of Macedonian honey integrating physicochemical, melissopalynological, and HPLC-based authentication approaches. Beyond compliance with the EU Honey Directive, the observed physicochemical ranges also meet the quality thresholds established by the Codex Alimentarius Standard for Honey (CODEX STAN 12-1981), the United States Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey (USDA 1985), the Chinese National Food Safety Standard GB 14963-2011, Mercosur Instrução Normativa No. 11/2000, the Turkish Food Codex Honey Communiqué, and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code Standard 2.8.2, indicating that Macedonian honey meets the compositional criteria of these frameworks for the parameters examined.