Determination of size distribution of fat globules in intravenous fat emulsions by photon correlation spectroscopy.

A photon correlation spectroscopy method has been developed to characterize the size distribution of fat globules in intravenous fat emulsions (IFE) in terms of mean diameter, standard deviation of the distribution, and percentage of large particles outside the distribution. Mean fat globule diameters of samples of all IFE products available in Canada were about 0.3 microns, similar to values reported in the literature. The methodology is sufficiently sensitive to detect the presence of 5% by weight of 2 microns polystyrene microspheres in an intravenous fat emulsion. The effect of changes in instrument settings and variables on the results has been evaluated.