Surface-modified magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized by co-precipitation of aqueous solution of ferrous and ferric salts (molar ratio 1:2) upon adding a base followed by calcium salt of poly(gamma-glutamic acid) (Ca-gamma-PGA) for uniform coating on the surface of MNPs. Both uncoated and Ca-gamma-PGA-coated MNPs were characterized using various techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and vibrating sample magnetometric (VSM) studies. Compared with bare MNPs, the IR spectra of coated MNPs showed characteristic peaks of gamma-PGA, implying the gamma-PGA coating on MNPs did occur. The TEM images depicted an average size of 8-10 nm for bare MNPs and 14 nm for coated MNPs, with their shape being spherical in nature. In the presence of applied magnetic field, a superparamagnetic behavior was observed at room temperature for both bare and Ca-gamma-PGA-coated MNPs, with no magnetism left upon magnetic-field removal. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.