Abstract:This study screened for lactic acid bacteria strains capable of efficiently reducing cholesterol that could also be used for yogurt fermentation and colonization of the gastrointestinal tract.The cholesterol-lowering activity of strains were tested using o-phthalaldehyde.Yogurt fermentation was evaluated by sensory evaluation and texture analysis.Gastrointestinal tract tolerance was determined based on the survival rate of the strains in acid solution，bile salt solution，artificial simulated gastric juice and artificial simulated pancreatic juice.Candidate strains were identified based on 16S rDNA sequence.Of 250 strains screened，eight lactic acid bacteria strains displayed cholesterol-degradation rates exceeding 40%.The strain with the highest cholesteroldegradation rate（QingA16，54.64%）also displayed the highest sensory evaluation score，the most yogurt fermentation texture indices，and a survival rate exceeding 40% survival rate in four simulated gastrointestinal solutions in vitro.Molecular identification revealed the strain to be Enterococcus durans.This strain is a candidate fermentation strain for functional yogurt.