International Journal of Scientific Research and Modern Technology (IJSRMT) ijsrmt.com Volume 4, Issue 7, 2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.38124/ijsrmt.v4i7.653 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 40 Assessment of Polymer-Coated Fertilizers on Maize Quality and Functionality Through Life Cycle Analysis Faseeha Muqadus 1 ; Sameen Fatima 2 ; Khadija Mushtaq 3 ; Andleeb Zahra 4 ;Muhammad Abdul Rehman Shahid 5 1,2,3,5 Research Assistant ; 4 Assistant Food Safety Officer 1 National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan; 2 Environmental Science, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan; 3,4 Institute of food Science and Nutrition, BZU, Multan, Pakistan; 5 Food Science and Technology, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan Publication 2025/07/29 Abstract The growing need to develop and use sustainable agricultural practices has increased the importance of the development and usage of controlled-release fertilizers, so-called polymer-coated fertilizers. This paper examines the effect of polymer coated fertilizer on yield quality, functional properties, and maize growth in addition to assessing its life cycle performance on the environment. An experiment was carried out in the field of uncoated conventional fertilizer and some polymer coated fertilizers treatments. The principal quality factors of maize harvested, such as protein content, state of moisture, starch profile, and the wholeness of the kernels were identified and statistically analyzed. Their functional parameters including water absorption index, gelatinization behavior and thermal stability were also ascertained to know whether there is a possibility of using the maize in the food processing and production industries. The life cycle analysis took into account the whole production process the pathway starting with fertilizers to end with the product after the harvest, with respect to greenhouse gases emission, consumption of energy, water footprint, and ecotoxicity. The findings further indicated that nutrient use efficiency of polymer-coated fertilizer significantly enhanced and held the nutrient loss by means of leaching, which enhanced the quality of maize and its useful properties. Also, the LCA indicated that even though the initial energy is used in excess in production of polymer-coated fertilizers owing to coating methods, the total environmental cost becomes lower owing to less frequent application and better crop yield. The combined evaluation gives an idea about the agronomic and environmental benefit of polymer-coated fertilizer use in maize production. The results confirm the opportunity of such fertilizers to increase food quality and reduce the ecological consequences supporting a more sustainable and effective agriculture system. Keywords: Polymer-Coated Fertilizers, Maize Quality, Functional Properties, Life cycle Analysis, Sustainable agriculture, Nutrient Efficiency. I. INTRODUCTION The agricultural intensification that has been desired all across the globe resulted in a massive reliance on synthetic fertilizers in order to increase the production and farming capacity in food production. Nonetheless, the nutrient use efficiency of conventional fertilizers, in particular, the nitrogen-based formulas, is usually low, thus leading to serious environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, and soil degradation (Ciampitti & Vyn, 2014; Zingore et al., 2022). Most of the problems with nutrient intake by crops including maize lead to economic and ecological pressures, and new fertilizer strategies should be designed so that they do not violate the concept of sustainable agriculture (Velten et al., 2015; Lal, 2008). Among the promising directions developed in recent decades, it is possible to point to the use of polymer-coated fertilizers (PCFs) that are intended to deliver all the necessary nutrients in a controlled and gradual way, being coordinated with the rate of nutrient uptake by the crops. Confinement of nutrients on a non-permeable capsule that is semi-permeable polymer helps to curtail the problem of rapid dissolution and leaching and consequently retention of nutrients by the soil and increased plant uptake (Shaviv et al., 2003; Du et al., 2006). Research indicated that, these coatings commonly developed using biodegradable or inert polymers have the ability to enhance root growth and