Papaya (Carica papaya L. cv. Hongkong) is an economically important fruit crop grown in Malaysia. During its ripening stages, (C. papaya L.) exhibits different physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacities, and sensory quality results. The objective of this study was to elucidate in detail the antioxidant capacity of C. papaya as determined by total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP),2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and scavenging systemand (ABTS). The study also aimed to study physicochemical changes of papaya fruits based on measured pH, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), moisture and fruit color at five different stages of ripening. The fruits were harvested at five different, stages RS1, RS2, RS3, RS4, and RS5 corresponding to 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 weeks after anthesis, respectively. Significant differences were found at different stages of ripening. The pH of the fruit decreased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas TA, moisture, and TSS increased significantly (P < 0.05) during the ripening process. The redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values of fruit color both increased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas
lightness (L*) varied. The total phenol content TPC, TFC, FRAP, DPPH and ABTS values increased significantly (P < 0.05) with the ripening process. Sensory evaluation based on the color, sweetness, sourness, flavor, and overall acceptance for the last three maturity stages was also performed. RS5 had a better score than RS3 or RS4. The results showed the important role of the ripening stage in increasing the antioxidant content of papaya fruits.