Chapter 5: Characterization Methods

Lipid-based delivery systems for the encapsulation and delivery of lipophilic bioactive compounds are subject to physical and chemical destabilization which could lead to poor visual appearance, loss of the encapsulated compound through crystallization or chemical degradation, and/or poor absorption of the bioactive compound in the human gut. Delivery systems should be well-developed to avoid these pitfalls while having desired physical and biochemical characteristics. This chapter introduces several characterization techniques to provide a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of lipid-based delivery systems for intended applications.