Extraction method

A process for extraction of a soluble component from a food material which process includes;

• providing:
• a food material having a soluble component to be extracted;
• an extracting liquid;
• and
• an enriching solution of the soluble component to be extracted, said enriching solution having a higher concentration of said soluble component than said food material to be extracted;
• contacting the food material with the enriching solution to obtain an enriched food material;
• and
• contacting the enriched food material with the extracting liquid in counter current flow,
• wherein the contacting steps are conducted in a counter current extractor including a rotary screw conveyor mounted within an inclined or vertical elongate housing having an upper end and a lower end such that the food material is fed into a lower end of the housing to contact the enriching solution which forms a pool at the lower end of the housing such that the food material contacts the enriching solution upon being fed into the lower end of the housing, the food material then being carried upward by the rotating screw to contact the extracting liquid which is fed into an upper end of the housing and flows downward under gravity, and wherein in the pool the concentration of solubles in the food material and the concentration of solubles in the extraction liquid are not equilibrated thereby providing a driving force for mass transfer above the pool where the food material and extracting liquid are flowing counter current.