To improve the efficiency of cholesterol-lowering ability in vitro and screen the excellent strains for fermentation.The serial dilution plate method was used to isolate cholesterol-reducing strains from Citrus limon.The activity of cholesterol-reducing was determined by HPLC,and then identified by 16S or 26S rDNA sequence analysis.A total of 122 strains were isolated from Citrus limon,and 23 cholesterol-lowering strains were preliminarily screened out firstly,then 17 strains showed activity by further determination.Among them,16 strains belonged to Saccharomycetales sp.,seven strains were Meyerozyma carpophila,five strains were Meyerozyma guilliermondii,four strains were Wickerhamomyces anomalus and Pichia membranifaciens.One strain was Acetobacter ghanensis. These strains can be used as the starter culture,which has provided a basis for the development of probiotics functional products.