a process for the production from raw lecithin of pure lecithin directly usable for physiological purposes comprising the steps of contacting raw lecithin with gas as the extraction medium under supercritical conditions with respect to pressure and temperature in an extraction stage to produce a gas containing an extract passing the gas containing the extract from the extraction stage into a separation stage varying at least one of the pressure and the temperature of the gas in the separation stage to separate the extract containing gas into the gas and the extract recycling the gas after the step of varying the pressure and or temperature and removing pure lecithin from the extraction stage application_number US 23870481 A description it is entirely surprising and unexpected in view of the state of the art to find that it is possible to separate the oily accompanying substances from the lipoid lecithin completely by means of supercritical extraction in principle all of the gases that are physiologically compatible and chemically inert with respect to lecithin may be used as the extraction medium such as for example co 2 chf 3 cf 3 cf 3 chcl u2550 cf 2 cf 2 u2550 ch 2 cf 3 ch 3 chf 2 ch 3 chf 2 cl cf 3 cl cf 2 u2550 cf 2 cf 2 cl 2 ccl 3 chcl 2 c 3 f 8.