Specificity of Comedy in Contemporary Kazakh Prose (E. Tursunov’s Short Story Cycle)

The relevance of this article lies in the need to construct a comprehensive history of the development of comedy in contemporary Kazakhstani literature, of which the works of Ermek Tursunov are an integral part. The author explores various approaches to the study of irony, satire, and humor, including philosophical (G. Hegel, F. Schlegel), cultural (A. Bergson, B. Dzemidok, M. M. Bakhtin, D. S. Likhachev, Y. Borev, A. M. Panchenko, N. V. Ponyrko, V. Ya. Karasev), and philological (V. Tyupa, V. Propp, M. Yu. Asanina, I. A. Obukhova, S. A. Dubrovskaya). The scientific novelty lies in the fact that Tursunov’s stories are analyzed for the first time in the declared aspect. The research has established that, firstly, irony becomes an important means of comedy in Tursunov’s collection of stories “Karashanyrak”. Secondly, non-direct speech ironically exposes the hero’s surrounding world (“How Kazakhs believed in omens”). Thirdly, there is an orientation towards Chekhov’s humorous tradition (“How Kazakhs received guests”, “How brides became wives”). Fourthly, the writer’s humor relies on national Kazakhstani traditions of comedy embodied in folklore (“How Kazakhs organized noisy performances”). Finally, one of the ways of constructing a comedic plot in Tursunov’s stories is through the synthesis of an anecdote with elements of satire. This study offers new insights into the role of comedy in contemporary Kazakhstani literature and contributes to the broader understanding of humor as a literary device

Defining the Composition of Fat Phase in Foods

Trans-fatty acids enter the human body with hydrogenated fats. The oil and fat industry must inform consumers about the fatty acid composition of food products, including the content of saturated fatty acids and trans-isomers. This study used the method of instrumental analysis to determine the fatty-acid profile and the content of trans-fatty acids in margarine. The research involved ten commercial samples of margarine. The fatty acid composition was studied by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The calibration graphs were based on standard mixes of methyl esters of individual fatty acids. Some oils appeared to contain ≥ 17% of palmitic acid. The total content of saturated fatty acids was 20.04–38.84%; the content of monounsaturated acids ranged from 27.92 to 36.81%, while that of polyunsaturated acids was between 14.51 and 28.99%. The margarine samples contained no butter (dairy) fat. All the samples contained 0.01–23.06% of trans-fatty acids. If the share of trans-fats exceeded 2%, it meant that the technical regulations had been violated, and hydrogenated oils had been introduced into the formulations. The highly specific mass spectrometric approach made it possible to detect trace trans-fatty acids, thus eliminating the chance of unreliable or false positive results. These methods proved to be an effective means of regulatory compliance and counterfeit prevention