In this work we report the preparation of fucan-coated magnetite (Fe 3O4) nanoparticles by the co-precipitation method. These nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectro-scopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. The nanoparticles showed quasi-spherical morphology with mean sizes around 10 nm. XRD and FT-IR confirmed the functionalization of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles with the fucan polysaccharide. Room temperature magnetization measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that the nanoparticles exhibited superparamagnetic behavior at 300 K and the magnetic properties of the Fe3O4 are partly screened by the coating preventing aggregation. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.