Improved Almond-based Pasta Flour, Almond-Based Pasta Products, Methods of Manufacturing Almond-Based and Other Nut-Based Pasta, Psyllium Serum Binder Systems, and Specialized Extrusion Dies for High-Oil Gluten-Free Dough Processing

A dough composition, comprising:

• a flour composition comprising almond flour, almond protein powder, and tapioca starch, each refined to an average particle size of between 0.1 microns and 10 microns;
• a psyllium husk serum including hydrated psyllium husk subjected to mechanical refinement to form a smooth, gel-like medium;
• and
• water;
• the dough composition exhibiting improved elasticity, cohesiveness, and reduced oil separation relative to dough compositions comprising unrefined almond flour.

A method of producing a dough suitable for gluten-free pasta, comprising:

• refining each of almond flour, almond protein powder, and tapioca starch to an average particle size of between 0.1 microns and 10 microns;
• preparing a psyllium husk serum by hydrating psyllium husk in water and mechanically processing the hydrated psyllium to form a uniform, serum-like material;
• mixing the refined almond flour, refined almond protein powder, and refined tapioca starch to form a dry mixture;
• adding the psyllium husk serum to the dry mixture to produce a combined mixture;
• and
• hydrating and mixing the combined mixture to form a cohesive dough, the formed cohesive dough having structural integrity if extruded.

An extrusion die for processing high-oil gluten-free doughs, comprising:

• a die body;
• the die body having one or more flow channels, each of the flow channels having a tapered geometry configured to reduce shear stress and minimize oil separation during extrusion;
• the flow channels having a surface finish comprising an electropolished or non-stick coating configured to reduce dough adhesion;
• and
• one or more shaping orifices configured to form an extruded pasta product;
• wherein the extrusion die is configured to produce dimensionally stable pasta shapes from almond-based doughs.