## 1 Introduction  
Honey is a traditional sweetener that is produced by honey bees (_Apis mellifera_). It is considered as a nutritive sweeeter as it contains a high proportion of sugars. Hoverer, it has a lower glycaemic potency than refined sugars due to the presence of relatively high proportion of fructose, non-nutritive components, and moisture ([1, 2]). In general, it is mainly composed of a mixture of different sugars (80-85%), water (15-17%), and proteins (0.1-0.4%), and it contains a plethora of micronutrients, namely enzymes, organic acids, vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds [3]. Honey is justifiably recognized as a functional food delivering nutritive compounds and treating multifarious ailments. It is noteworthy that several clinical trials correlate the consumption of honey with wound healing [4], antimicrobial [5], anticancer [6], antidiabetic [7], cardio-protective [8], nephro-protective [9], anti-atherosclerotic [10], neuroprotective [11], and anti-aging activities [12]. In addition, various studies support the potential of honey to treat respiratory diseases, manage mental disorders, control gastrointestinal complications, and promote skin health [13; 14; 15]. Researchers also linked the beneficial effects of honey on amelioration of chronic and acute diseases with its special phenolic composition [16]. The term \"phenolic compound\" describes a substance that possesses an aromatic ring bearing one or more hydroxyl substituents including functional derivatives (esters, methyl esters, and glycosides). Phenolic compounds are widely distributed in the plant kingdom; thus, they are transferred from host plant floral nects into honey. The phenolic compounds found in honey are mainly flavonoids and phenolic acids, and they can be utilized as biomarkers for the geographical and botanical origin of honey [17]. Hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids are the main sub-groups of phenolic acids found in honey. Hydroxybenzoic acids such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, syringic acid, and protocatechuic acid are more common in honey than hydroxycinnamic acids. Nevertheless, hydroxycinnamic acids exert stronger biological activities because of the unsaturated chain attached to the carboxyl group and the presence of the phenoxyl functional group [2]. Caffeic acid, ferulic acid, _trans_-cinnamic acid, and _p_-coumaric acid are widely distributed in mono- and multi-filoral honeys. Rosmarinic acid, caftaric acid, chlorogenic acid, and _o_-coumaric acid have also been identified in honeys [18; 19; 20]. Furthermore, rosmarinic acid and chlorogenic acid have been proposed as biomarkers for botanical origin in thyme and acacia honey, respectively [21; 22]. The extraction of hydroxycinnamic acids from honey is a critical step in their chromatographic analysis, but it is a difficult task due to their chemical complexity and high viscosity of the matrix as well as the low concentrate of these phenolic acids [23]. The extraction of hydroxycinnamic acids is usually performed through liquid-liquid extraction using organic solvents, solid phase extraction with diverse stationary phases, and miniaturized extraction methods such as dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and solid phase microextraction [23]. Thus, the extraction step is time-consuming, typically requiring 80% of the total analysis time, and has negative impact on of greenness of the extraction procedure. Recently, an optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction method was introduced to enhance the solubilization of phenolic substances prior chromatographic analysis. This optimization study was based on total phenolic contents and requires large volumes of solvent for the solubilization [24]. The present work aspires to develop and optimize an effective miniaturized, green sample preparation method for the solubilization of hydroxycinnamic acids from honey using ultrasound irradiation and a hydroethanolic mixture as solvent.