Background and Objective: Acoustic waves, particularly ultrasound, are commonly used in food processing to reduce the activity of microorganisms in food. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a verse from the holy Qur’an, specifically Al-An'aam (Sura 6: Verse 18 (6:18)), on the inhibition rate of molds in both in vitro and in vivo conditions.
Materials and Methods: The study evaluated the effects of both the written verse and the sound waves of Tar instrument music, based on the weight and syllables of Al-An'aam Sura (verse 18) without the sound of Qur'an, throughout 1 to 5 days on the growth of Aspergillus niger and Botrytis cinerea at 25 °C. Additionally, the population of molds on the surface of strawberries inoculated with fungal spores was determined under cold conditions (5 °C) for 10 days.
Results and Conclusion: The results showed a significant decrease in mold diameter growth after 96 and 120 h in the written verse treatment group compared to the control. The minimum mold growth diameters for A. niger and B. cinerea in this group were 3 and 3.7 cm, respectively. Furthermore, the microbial load on inoculated strawberries with A. niger and B. cinerea decreased by 44% and 50%, respectively, after six days of treatment compared to the control, and no sign of microbial spoilage was observed on day 10. Interestingly, the emergence of first spoilage symptoms on the inoculated strawberries with B. cinerea spores increased by 42% under the treatment of Tar sound compared to the control. In the case of A. niger, it increased by 17% in the treatments with the Qur’an verse label compared to the control.