Polysaccharide-stabilized iron complexes are an important class of biomaterials with numerous applications, including iron supplement for treating anemia, contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic separation of cells and protein. An original procedure for the "in situ" synthesis of ferrites is proposed and applied successfully to a series of carbohydrate matrices, differing in chemical structure and molecular organization, i.e. semi-crystalline, cross-linked, composites, etc. The method implies introduction of the iron salt into microvoids of polysaccharide platforms, followed by oxidation of iron hydroxide under alkaline conditions. The particles synthesized via "in situ" method are characterized by high magnetic responsiveness and represent an excellent support for covalent attachment of proteins, which make them suitable for the magnetic separation of pharmaceutically important biomolecules.