Physicochemical and sensory properties of honey powder from different climatic regions

• Climatic diversity impacts honey powder's physicochemical and sensory properties. • Kurdistan honey shows superior sensory attributes for powder conversion. • Spray drying alters honey's enzymatic activity, color, and sugar content. • Arak honey powder exhibits the highest water absorption and viscosity properties. • Study supports honey powder's potential for food and pharmaceutical applications. This study scrutinizes the physicochemical properties of honey and its powdered form from three distinct botanical origins: Kurdistan (mountainous flora), Taleqan (meadow flora), and Arak (semi-arid vegetation). The analysis encompassed water absorption (WA), density, sugar composition, titratable acidity (TA), pH, moisture content (MC), ash, electrical conductivity (EC), and enzymatic activity (EA). Significant differences were observed between raw honey and honey powder in all measured parameters, except for EC and WA. The conversion of honey into powder through spray drying led to a notable increase in hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), attributed to the high processing temperatures, and a significant decline in diastase activity, likely due to the presence of maltodextrin, which interferes with enzymatic activity, likely through dilution and structural modifications. Additionally, TA, sucrose, reducing sugars, MC, and color indices (a and b) experienced significant reduction ( P < 0.05), while pH and lightness (L) increased. The trend of changes in honey powder parameters compared to untreated honey indicated an increase in HMF levels, pH, and brightness/darkness (L) index. Conversely, a decrease was observed in diastase activity, TA, apparent sucrose, reducing sugars, MC, and color indices (a and b) ( P < 0.05).These changes highlight the impact of spray drying on honey's physicochemical properties, particularly the thermal degradation of key bioactive compounds and alterations in color and sugar composition. Regional variations influenced water absorption and viscosity, with Arak honey powder exhibiting the highest values ( p < 0.05). Sensory evaluation results revealed that Kurdistan honey was the most preferred in terms of aroma, color, flavor, and overall acceptance, suggesting its superior sensory appeal. While honey powder shows promise for food and pharmaceutical applications, further research is needed to assess its industrial potential, particularly through product formulation and performance evaluations in real-world applications.