What is the term for the process of nitrogen removal in the body?

The term for the process of nitrogen removal in the body is deamination. This process specifically refers to the removal of an amino group from an amino acid or other compound, leading to the release of ammonia, which is subsequently converted into urea for excretion in urine. Deamination is crucial to amino acid metabolism as it allows the body to utilize the carbon skeleton of the amino acids for energy or to synthesize glucose or fatty acids.

Amino acid metabolism encompasses a broader category that includes various biochemical processes involving amino acids, including deamination and transamination, without specifically highlighting the removal of nitrogen. Gluconeogenesis is a metabolic pathway that results in the generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate substrates and does not pertain to nitrogen removal. Transamination involves the transfer of an amino group from one amino acid to a keto acid and does not remove nitrogen from the body but rather redistributes it. Thus, deamination is the precise process that addresses nitrogen removal, making it the correct choice.