Scotland's North Sea oil industry might be in the doldrums but things are looking up for the country's lesser known producers of premium rapeseed oil.

The number of artisan brands of virgin cold-pressed rapeseed oil in Scotland has grown to eight over the last decade and burgeoning sales last year led to the creation of a marketing group which has now set its sights on obtaining EU protected designation of origin status for oil produced in Scotland.

Amanda Brown of Scotland Food and Drink, who heads the Scottish Rapeseed Oil group, said that an application to obtain the coveted designation would be submitted in the coming weeks and that winning the backing of the Scottish Government as well as the London-based Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs would be needed before a final decision is taken by the European Commission.

"Getting protected designation of origin status would help raise awareness of Scottish cold-pressed rapeseed oil among both consumers and chefs," Brown said.

Until ten years ago, rapeseed was mostly used in margarine and the processed food sector, mixed with other oils to be sold in bulk cheap vegetable oil or used as a bio-fuel to power cars. But over the last decade a niche market has developed for cold-pressed rapeseed oil which is now beginning to eat into the market share of imported olive oil.

Bottles of the premium cold-pressed rapeseed oil designed to appeal to the gourmet market are now to be found in supermarkets up and down the country.

Instead of the rapeseed being heated to extract oil from the plant, the cold-press process involves the rapeseed being gently squeezed until the oil comes out. Unlike the hot-press process, no chemicals or bleaches are used.

Rapeseed oil has a health advantage over olive oil as it contains just 6 per cent of saturated fat, which is less than half that found in most olive oils. It also contains higher levels of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids than other vegetable oils.

Celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver - who once championed olive oil - and Mark Greenaway have praised rapeseed oil for its delicate and nutty taste which is more neutral compared with olive oil. Rapeseed oil also has a higher burning point, which means that it retains its health benefits when used for roasting or frying.

According to retail analysts Kantar Worldpanel, sales of cold-pressed rapeseed oil in the UK last year amounted to £5.9 million and the market is growing at 26 per cent. Sales in Scotland were £0.7 million last year, growing 18 per cent year on year.

Kantar says that 4.3 per cent of Scottish shoppers bought cold-pressed rapeseed oil over the last 12 months and 33,000 shoppers bought the product for the first time.