In view of advancing climate modification, new options are urgently required to significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Among the most efficient strategies is the reduction of methane emissions. A significant share of this methane is produced by microbial processes in the rumen of cattle. Although feed ingredients can minimize this methane development, the products readily available so far accomplish emission decreases of only about 10 to 30 percent.
As part of a project funded by an ERC Beginning Grant, low‑molecular compounds were found in the research study group of Prof. Benedikt Sabaß at LMU Munich that considerably reduce methane development. “We expect that feed ingredients based on our compounds might minimize methane emissions from livestock by more than 70 percent,” states Sabaß. “In addition, potent anti‑methanogenic compounds can also offer substantial metabolic benefits and conserve approximately 12 percent energy.” These new methane‑inhibiting substances can therefore improve feed efficiency in livestock, reducing both the environmental footprint and the costs of livestock farming. In this way, using climate‑friendly supplements ends up being financially appealing for producers.
With his Evidence of Idea job “BacForClimate” (A powerful, new anti‑methanogenic substance for climate‑friendly livestock farming), Sabaß aims to elucidate the mode of action of the brand-new substances, assess their metabolic advantages, and establish a principle for market introduction. He then plans to work with partners from veterinary medication and industry to establish items based upon these substances. “This task is planned to lay the foundation for the industrial success of our brand-new technology and eventually, we hope, add to resolving an immediate problem,” states Sabaß.
Only scientists who have actually already received an ERC Grant are eligible to request a Proof of Principle Grant. The goal of the financing is to transfer ideas from ERC‑funded tasks into practical 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 spent a year working in the automobile market on the development of electrical vehicles before returning to Heidelberg University for a postdoctoral position. From 2014 to 2016, Sabaß performed research as a DAAD Postdoctoral Fellow at Princeton University (USA). He subsequently 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 Statistical Mechanics research study group. His research study task “BacForce” (Measuring minute forces: How mechanoregulation determines the behaviour of pathogenic bacteria) is moneyed by an ERC Starting Grant. In May 2025, Sabaß relocated to TU Dortmund University, where he has since held the Professorship of Experimental Physics/Medical Physics in the Department of Physics. The Sabaß research group at TU Dortmund University integrates application‑oriented medical physics with fundamental biophysical research study.
Contact individual for inquiries: