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Ahmed Ben Hafsa


benhafsa.ahmed@gmail.com

Journal articles

2014
Maher Chaouachi, Ahmed Ben Hafsa, Nesrine Nabi, Mohamed Salem Zellama, Khaled Said (2014)  A new dual plasmid calibrator for the Quantification of the Construct Specific GM Canola Oxy-235 with Duplex Real-time PCR .   Food Chemistry. In press 145: 49–56 February  
Abstract: To overcome the difficulties of obtaining the Certified Reference Material (CRM) and according to the key documents of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EU-RL), a new standard reference molecule containing the construct specific of the canola event Oxy-235 (3′-junction Nitrilase/Tnos) and the canola endogenous reference gene (acety-CoA-carboxylase) was constructed and used for duplex real-time quantitative analysis. The limits of detection (LOD) were less than 5 Haploid Genome Copy (HGC) and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were about 10 HGC. Furthermore, mixed GM and non-GM canola samples were analysed with duplex QRT-PCR to evaluate the performance criteria as required for validation procedures in the EU-RL, namely, the precision and the accuracy. The accuracy expressed as bias ranged from 2% to 10% and the precision (repeatability and reproducibility) expressed as the RSDr and RSDR was from 2.2 to 5.12 and 2.15 to 5.46 respectively. All these indicated that the developed construct specific method and the reference molecule are suitable for the identification and the quantification of the canola event Oxy-235.
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2013
Maher Chaouachi, Nesrine Nabi, Ahmed Ben Hafsa, Mohamed Salem Zellama, Fethia Skhiri, Khaled Saïd (2013)  Monitoring of genetically modified food and feed in the Tunisian market using qualitative and quantitative real-time PCR.   Food Science and Biotechnology 22: 4. 1161-1170 August  
Abstract: Genetically modified organisms (GMO) invade more and more the agricultural production in the world. Although there are no legislations on GM labeling and cultivation of GM crops in Tunisia, the present study aims to check the status of GMO in Tunisian market using qualitative and quantitative real time-PCR (QRT-PCR). Three-hundred-sixty five samples were collected and different DNA extraction methods were adapted and optimized. Specific primers targeting 35S promoter from Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) and nopaline synthase terminator from Agrobacterium tumefaciens (At) were used for the detection of the GMO insert and Taxon specific primers for the detection of plant species. Validated Taqman® probes (EU-RL) targeting event specific regions of the maize events MON810, Bt11, and the soybean event RRS were used for the quantification studies. Seven food and feed products showed different amounts of RRS (1.9%), MON810 (2.1%), and Bt11 (1.6%). The results demonstrate for the first time the presence of GMO in Tunisian markets reinforcing the need for the development of accurate quantitative methods in routine analyses.
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Maher Chaouachi, Mohamed Salem Zellama, Nesrine Nabi, Ahmed Ben Hafsa, Khaled Saïd (2013)  Molecular Identification of Four Genetically Modified Maize (Bt11, Bt176, Mon810 and T25) by Duplex Quantitative Real-Time PCR   Food Anal. Methods 6: 4. 991-1252 July  
Abstract: In response to the increasing number of genetically modified (GM) events released on the market, control laboratories explore various strategies to simplify and reduce the number of tests needed to characterise the content in genetically modified organism (GMO) of a given sample. Lastly, multiplexing is considered as one of the possible ways to decrease the time and cost of analysis. Here, we report the development of four duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the identification and the quantification of four maize transformation events from which commercial lines have been authorised in Europe namely, Bt11 and Bt176 (Syngenta, DE, USA), Mon810 MaisGard™ (Monsanto, MO, USA) and T25 Liberty Link™ (Bayer CropScience, Monheim, Germany). The duplex PCR tests combine a maize-specific PCR test hybridising in the Adh1 locus with an event-specific detection system designed on a junction fragment for each of these four GM maize. Realtime PCR tests, suitable to comply with the European regulation, were designed by using Taqman® chemistry. PCR tests, suitable to comply with the European regulation, were designed by using Taqman® chemistry.
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Maher Chaouachi, Akram Alaya, Imen Ben Haj Ali, Ahmed Ben Hafsa, Nesrine Nabi, Aurélie Berard, Marcel Romaniuk, Fethia Skhiri, Khaled Said (2013)  Development of real-time PCR method for the detection and the quantification of a new endogenous reference gene in sugar beet "Beta vulgaris L.": GMO application.   Plant Cell Rep 32: 1. 117–128 January  
Abstract: Here, we describe a new developed quantitative real-time PCR method for the detection and quantification of a new specific endogenous reference gene used in GMO analysis. The key requirement of this study was the identification of a new reference gene used for the differentiation of the four genomic sections of the sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) (Beta, Corrollinae, Nanae and Procumbentes) suitable for quantification of genetically modified sugar beet. A specific qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was designed to detect the sugar beet amplifying a region of the adenylate transporter (ant) gene only from the species of the genomic section I of the genus Beta (cultivated and wild relatives) and showing negative PCR results for 7 species of the 3 other sections, 8 related species and 20 non-sugar beet plants. The sensitivity of the assay was 15 haploid genome copies (HGC). A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) assay was also performed, having high linearity (R (2) > 0.994) over sugar beet standard concentrations ranging from 20,000 to 10 HGC of the sugar beet DNA per PCR. The QRT-PCR assay described in this study was specific and more sensitive for sugar beet quantification compared to the validated test previously reported in the European Reference Laboratory. This assay is suitable for GMO quantification in routine analysis from a wide variety of matrices.
Notes: Here, we describe a new developed quantitative real-time PCR method for the detection and quantification of a new specific endogenous reference gene used in GMO analysis.
2011
Maher Chaouachi, Amira Zairi, Ahmed Ben Hafsa, Aghleb Bartegi (2011)  Poissons transgéniques : Entre commercialisation et risques éventuels   Biofutur 318. 56-60 fevrier  
Abstract: Plus de 30 espèces de poissons ont fait l’objet de travaux de transformation génétique depuis 1984, date de la production du premier poisson rouge transgénique (Carassius auratus auratus L. 1758). Bien que ces améliorations présentent des avantages dans le secteur de l’aquaculture et de l’environnement, aucun poisson transgénique n’a encore été commercialisé à des fins alimentaires dans le monde contrairement aux plantes génétiquement modifiées (GM). Cette possibilité de commercialisation est en cours d’étude par la FDA (Food and Drug Administration) concernant le saumon GM AquaAdvantage® de la firme AquaBounty.
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