In view of advancing climate modification, brand-new solutions are urgently required to substantially decrease greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most reliable strategies 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 decrease this methane formation, the products readily available up until now achieve emission reductions of just about 10 to 30 percent.
As part of a project funded by an ERC Starting Grant, low‑molecular substances were discovered in the research study group of Prof. Benedikt Sabaß at LMU Munich that significantly decrease methane development. “We expect that feed additives based upon our substances might lower methane emissions from livestock by more than 70 percent,” says Sabaß. “In addition, potent anti‑methanogenic substances can also provide considerable metabolic benefits and save up to 12 percent energy.” These new methane‑inhibiting compounds can therefore improve feed performance in cattle, reducing both the eco-friendly footprint and the expenses of cattle farming. In this way, making use of climate‑friendly supplements becomes economically attractive for producers.
With his Evidence of Concept job “BacForClimate” (A potent, new anti‑methanogenic substance for climate‑friendly animals farming), Sabaß intends to illuminate the mode of action of the new substances, examine their metabolic benefits, and develop a principle for market intro. He then prepares to deal with partners from veterinary medicine and industry to establish items based upon these substances. “This task is intended to lay the structure for the business success of our new innovation and ultimately, we hope, contribute to fixing an urgent problem,” states Sabaß.
Only researchers who have currently received an ERC Grant are eligible to get a Proof of Idea Grant. The objective of the financing is to move concepts from ERC‑funded projects into useful application.
About the individual
Prof. Benedikt Sabaß studied physics at Heidelberg University (Ruprecht‑Karls‑Universität) and made his doctorate in theoretical physics at the University of Stuttgart in 2012. He then invested a year working in the automotive industry on the development of electrical lorries before going back to Heidelberg University for a postdoctoral position. From 2014 to 2016, Sabaß carried out research as a DAAD Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University (U.S.A.). He subsequently led a research group at the Institute of Biological Details 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 group. His research project “BacForce” (Quantifying minute forces: How mechanoregulation determines the behaviour of pathogenic germs) is funded by an ERC Starting Grant. In May 2025, Sabaß transferred to TU Dortmund University, where he has actually given that held the Professorship of Speculative 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.
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