Table 1.

Typical properties of Type l, ll, lll and IV lipid formulations (Pouton, 2006).

	Increasing hydrophilic content	→
	Type I	Type II	Type IIIA	Type IIIB	Type IV
Typical composition (%)
Triglycerides or	100	40–80	40–80	<20	0
Mixed glycerides
Surfactants	0	20–60 (HLB<12)	20–40 (HLB>12)	20–50 (HLB>12)	0–20 (HLB<12)
					20–80 (HLB>12)
Hydrophilic cosolvents	0	0	0–40	20–50	0–80
Particle size of dispersion (nm)	Coarse	100–250	100–250	50–100	<50
Significance of aqueous dilution	Limited importance	Solvent capacity unaffected	Some loss of solvent capacity	Significant phase changes and potential loss of solvent capacity	Significant phase changes and potential loss of solvent capacity
Significance of digestibility	Crucial requirement	Not crucial but likely to occur	Not crucial but may be inhibited	Not required and unlikely to happen	Not required and unlikely to happen