Alginate with phenol moieties in the polymer side chains was synthesized through the conjugation reaction of alginate and tyramine. Immersing an aqueous solution of the alginate containing horseradish peroxidase into a solution containing H2O2 caused the solution to gel via peroxidase-catalyzed oxidative coupling of the phenols. In addition, alginate prepared under appropriate reaction conditions retained the attractive properties associated with unmodified alginate; spherical gel beads were formed by dropping an aqueous alginate solution (1.0 wt.%) into a solution containing calcium ions. The oxidative coupling of the phenols was effective for suppressing the destabilization of the alginate gel resulting from a loss of bonding between the divalent cations and alginate. The mechanical properties of the resultant gels were influenced by the preparation conditions of the alginate and the type of cross-linking. (c) 2006 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.