Mid- and Near-Infrared Spectra of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives Collected in Austria and Croatia

This dataset comprises mid- and near-infrared spectra of plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs). The PBMA samples were collected over two years. The Croatian samples were collected in 2024 (n=38), consisting of 10 almond, 2 coconut, 11 oat, 8 rice, and 7 soy samples. The Austrian samples were collected in 2025 (n=116): 24 almond, 18 coconut, 38 oat, 14 rice, 21 soy, and 1 mixed oat–almond sample. All samples were sourced from supermarkets. The meta and the photos file contains more inforamtion on the samples. For MIR spectra acquisition, an Invenio X FT-IR spectrometer (Bruker Optics, Ettlingen, Germany) equipped with a liquid nitrogen‑cooled mercury–cadmium–telluride (MCT) detector and a MIRacle triple‑bounce ATR accessory (PIKE Technologies, Fitchburg, WI, USA) was used. A 100 μL aliquot of each PBMA sample was pipetted onto the ATR crystal. For each measurement, 32 scans at a spectral resolution of 4 cm−1 were averaged, resulting in an acquisition time of approximately 2 s. The FT‑IR was flushed with dry air. For the background spectrum, water was pipetted onto the ATR crystal and the spectrum recorded. For NIR spectra acquisition, a Bruker multi‑purpose analyzer (MPA) FT‑NIR spectrometer (Bruker Optics, Ettlingen, Germany) equipped with a lead sulfide (PbS) detector was used. Approximately 10 mL1 of sample was transferred to a round vial and placed in the sampling interface for diffuse reflectance (DR) measurements. The internal gold reflection standard served as the background. For each measurement, 64 scans at a resolution of 4 cm−1 were averaged. The R code used to analyse the obtained spectra with chemometrics is also found in this repository.