Post any defects you find in the released or beta versions of the ImageMagick software here. Include the ImageMagick version, OS, and any command-line required to reproduce the problem. Got a patch for a bug? Post it here.
ImageMagick 7 has variable channels per https://imagemagick.org/script/porting.php. When you turn alpha off, the alpha channel is tossed. When you re-enable, it adds back an opaque alpha channel. ImageMagick 6 is different, the alpha channel persists when it is turned off and restored when it is turned back on. What you want instead is to deactivate the alpha channel instead of turning it off, use -alpha Deactivate. Deactivating persists the alpha channel but does not use it for blending pixels for certain image processing options.