Dataset for Visible-near infrared spectroscopy and near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for the detection of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in individual oat grains

Oat grains are increasingly consumed worldwide due to their health benefits, yet they are highly susceptible to contamination by Fusarium toxins, particularly T-2 and HT-2 toxins (T-2+HT-2). Current detection methods are destructive, slow, or inadequate for detecting contamination at the individual grain level. This study is the first to demonstrate the potential of visible–near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy and near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) to detect T-2+HT-2 in individual oat grains non-destructively. 200 grains were scanned, and their toxin content quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Classification models were developed to identify grains exceeding both the European Union (EU) legal threshold (1250 μg/kg) and a higher risk level (10,000 μg/kg). Both techniques achieved high accuracy (up to 94.5 %) in identifying contaminated grains. Key wavelengths were identified (e.g., 1203, 1419, 1424 and 1476 nm in NIR; 440–455 nm in Vis), and reducing the model to 20 wavelengths preserved performance while simplifying computation. Critically, removing just 21.5 % of the most contaminated grains could reduce overall toxin levels by over 95 %. Moreover, sampling simulations revealed that analysing 30 % of grains guarantees detection of contamination above legal limits, whereas 0.5 % sampling yields only a 25–33 % detection chance.