**Abstract**

Plant-derived omega (ω)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid is an essential fatty acid in human and animal diets and is a precursor of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which exists as α-linolenic acid (ALA, ω-3) in plant oil. Several epidemiological studies have revealed the health benefits of regular consumption of ω-3 fatty acid-containing diets. Soybean [*Glycine max* (L.) Merr.] is one of the major oil crops in the world and has around 8% ALA (ω-3) in seed oil. Soybean-derived ω-3 can be potential alternative sources of ω-3 fatty acids for populations living in countries with high risks of inadequate ω-3 intake. Therefore, increasing ω-3 concentration became an important goal in soybean breeding. Conversely, higher content of ω-3 fatty acids makes seed oil rancid, necessitating chemical hydrogenation, which generates *trans* fats. Since *trans* fats have been associated with the heart and other diseases, demand for soybeans with reduced ALA content is growing. In this book chapter, we described the importance of ω-3 fatty acid and consumption of diets with balanced ω-6/ω-3 ratio and discussed breeding and biotechnological means (and integrated approaches) for altering the ω-3 fatty acid content to avoid the need for chemical hydrogenation as well as to improve the ω-6/ω-3 ratio.

**Keywords:** soybean, fatty acid, omega-3, omega-6, breeding
