<p>A ready-to-serve (RTS) mango beverage was probioticated with <i>Lactobacillus helveticus</i> MTCC 5463, achieving a cell population of 12.48 log CFU mL⁻¹ after 48&#xa0;h incubation at 35&#xa0;°C. Viable count remained above 11 log CFU mL⁻¹ for 60 days and reduced to 9.13 log CFU mL⁻¹ after 90 days, while sensory acceptability was found to be ‘very good’ up to 90 days of refrigerated storage. Metabolic activity of cells and their interaction with the fruit matrix led to an increase in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity by about 1.4 and 1.7 times, respectively. Concentration of gallic, ferulic, protocatechuic and trans-cinnamic acid increased two to four times in the mango beverage after probiotication. The strain used in this study synthesized biotin and folate, both of which were absent in control samples. Carotenoid bioaccessibility in the probiotic mango beverage was about 47% higher, compared to control. Bile tolerance in the cells in probiotic mango beverage initially was comparable to MRS broth grown cells, but 1.34-log reduction in cells was observed on the 90th day of storage. The results indicate that the probiotic mango beverage developed in this study showed enhanced nutritional and functional properties, indicating its strong commercial potential.</p>