Pitaya (Stenocereus spp.): an under-utilized fruit

Abstract

Pitaya (Stenocereus spp.) is an exotic fruit, which has been consumed since ancient timesby pre-Hispanic cultures. Recently in Mexico, this cactus has been the target of commercialattention due to the pleasant taste of their succulent fruits with juicy and sweet pulp, and agreat variety of colors (white, yellow, purple and red fruits). This fruit has excellent sensory,nutritional, nutraceutical, agroindustrial and medicinal attributes; however, it has beenunder-utilized. The high content of betalains in this fruit allows us to consider these varietiesas a source of natural pigments to be used in the food industry. The aim of this study is toshow “the state of the art” of the properties of Stenocereus, to promote its study,dissemination, production, consumption and agroindustrial use. The present study shows adescription of its botany, distribution, cultivation, physiology, pre and postharvest aspects,nutritional and nutraceutical composition, as well as agroindustrial and medicinal uses. Theproduction of this fruit represents an opportunity for the economic development of somearid and semi-arid zones of Mexico due to the agronomic, nutraceutical and agroindustrialadvantages. Therefore, more studies are required, mainly on physiological, nutraceutical,medicinal and agroindustrial aspects, more specifically on the non-studied species ofStenocereus, and future researches should deal with development of agro-technologies toguarantee high yields and good quality products to enable growers to make a living from it.

Sociocultural and economic significance in the harvest of the pitaya sahuira (Stenocereus montanus) in Sinaloa, Mexico

“…Unfortunately, there are no cultivated plantations in the study areas to increase their productivity, in order to exert less ecological and extractive pressure on wild populations, in contrast to what was reported in the central-southern regions of Mexico (Pimienta- Barrios et al, 1997;Quiroz-González et al, 2018), where it has been pointed out that, among the columnar cacti, the genus Stenocereus is the most advanced group in terms of domestication (Casas et al, 2016). However, in San José del Llano, the first plantations have been started because of the demand and need of the local company.…”

“…The fruits of Stenocereus, mainly known as pitayas, constitute an important food source for local communities and native fauna in the driest season. In Mexico, pitayas are one of most valuable wild edible plants for rural communities (Pimienta- Barrios and Nobel, 1994;Yetman and Van Devender, 2002;Pío-León et al, 2017a, 2017bQuiroz-González et al, 2018;Lázaro-Juárez et al, 2020); however, although all Stenocereus species produce edible fruit, not all produce fruit big enough nor the necessary amount to motivate harvest for sale. Among the most important Stenocereus species in Mexico are S. dumortieri, S. fricci, S. huastecorum, S. montanus, S. pruinosus, S. queretaroensis, S. stellatus and S. thurberi (Pío-León et al, 2017b;Alvarado-Sizzo et al, 2018;Quiroz-González et al, 2018).…”

“…The word Sinaloa derives from the Cahita (language of the former Cáhita, a local Indian tribe) SINA (pitaya or pitahaya), and LOBOLA (rounded), which means round pitaya, and is part of the state coat of arms (INAFED, 2008). However, despite the cultural significance for the state, there are no studies that analyze the sociocultural and economic value of its pitayas species and very few it's known about the commercialization process (Quiroz-González et al, 2018). There are seven species of Stenocereus in Sinaloa which, based on the author's experience, only three can be considered as pitahaya producers: S. thurberi in the north, S. martinezii in the center-south and S. montanus in the mountain region.…”

“…The fruits of Stenocereus are a source of several phytochemicals such as vitamin C, phenolics, and, mainly betalains (Beltrán-Orozco et al, 2009;Quiroz-González et al, 2018). Among higher plants, betalains are pigments restricted to the order Caryophyllales, which are safe for the human body with no upper limit (Delgado-Vargas et al, 2000).…”

Physiological changes of pitayo fruit (Stenocereus thurberi) before and after harvest in Sonoran Desert

“…In pitaya S. pruinosus the pH was 5.8 [10] and in S. griseus 5.2 [1] . less acidic pH favor consumer preference [11] . This is in addition to the fact that 13.77% TSS was found in ripe fruits, similar to that reported by Ojeda and Barrera [5] with 14.4%.…”