In view of advancing environment change, new services are urgently required to considerably decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Among the most efficient techniques is the decrease of methane emissions. A considerable share of this methane is produced by microbial processes in the rumen of cattle. Although feed additives can lower this methane development, the items available up until now accomplish emission reductions of just about 10 to 30 percent.
As part of a task moneyed by an ERC Beginning Grant, low‑molecular compounds were discovered in the research study group of Prof. Benedikt Sabaß at LMU Munich that considerably lower methane formation. “We expect that feed additives based upon our substances might reduce methane emissions from livestock by more than 70 percent,” says Sabaß. “In addition, potent anti‑methanogenic substances can also provide significant metabolic benefits and save approximately 12 percent energy.” These new methane‑inhibiting substances can for that reason improve feed performance in cattle, decreasing both the environmental footprint and the costs of livestock farming. In this method, using climate‑friendly supplements becomes financially appealing for producers.
With his Proof of Concept job “BacForClimate” (A potent, brand-new anti‑methanogenic substance for climate‑friendly livestock farming), Sabaß intends to illuminate the mode of action of the brand-new compounds, examine their metabolic advantages, and develop a principle for market introduction. He then prepares to deal with partners from veterinary medication and industry to develop products based upon these substances. “This job is planned to lay the foundation for the business success of our new innovation and eventually, we hope, add to fixing an urgent problem,” says Sabaß.
Only scientists who have currently received an ERC Grant are qualified to look for an Evidence of Principle Grant. The objective of the funding is to move concepts from ERC‑funded projects into practical application.
About the person
Prof. Benedikt Sabaß studied physics at Heidelberg University (Ruprecht‑Karls‑Universität) and earned his doctorate in theoretical physics at the University of Stuttgart in 2012. He then invested a year working in the automobile industry on the development of electrical lorries before going back to Heidelberg University for a postdoctoral position. From 2014 to 2016, Sabaß conducted research study as a DAAD Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University (U.S.A.). He consequently led a research study group at the Institute of Biological Info Processing at Forschungszentrum Jülich. In 2020, the physicist accepted a call to the Professorship of Biophysics of Pathogenic Organisms at LMU Munich, where he headed the Cell Biophysics and Analytical Mechanics research study group. His research study task “BacForce” (Quantifying minute forces: How mechanoregulation identifies the behaviour of pathogenic bacteria) is moneyed by an ERC Beginning Grant. In May 2025, Sabaß moved to TU Dortmund University, where he has given that held the Professorship of Experimental Physics/Medical Physics in the Department of Physics. The Sabaß research group at TU Dortmund University combines application‑oriented medical physics with fundamental biophysical research study.
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