Desarrollo de la Pitahaya (Cereus Sp.) En Ecuador

Pitahaya (Cereus sp.) is an exotic tropical fruit, widely distributed in America and even present in Asia. In Ecuador it is found in provinces such as Pichincha, Morona Santiago and Loja. It is a climbing shrub whose fruit is a berry of attractive flavor. It is known that this plant has been used as a living fence or ornamental form for its morphological characteristics, however its nutritional characteristics have taken more prominence in the last decade as it is attributed the property of being a complete food fruit. The most relevant, its high content of bioflavonoids and the concentration of fatty acids, in addition to fiber, minerals and vitamins which have cardiotonic and adjuvant effects in gastrointestinal problems. Unfortunately in the country there have been few studies on the benefits of this fruit, due to commercial competition with other fruits apparently of greater interest such as bananas, tree tomatoes and cocoa.